DEAD BATTERIES, rolling blackouts or power
failures can be particularly frustrating for vacationers, RV owners, cabin dwellers and boaters
who rely on portable power for lights, appliances
and other gadgets.

One clean, quiet, safe and environmentally
friendly energy source that has continued to gain
in popularity is solar. Solar-panel kits—
easy-to-as-semble, plug-and-play units—can provide all the their homework when shopping for solar panels. Solar panels let the sun shine
power you need to keep charging your deep cycle Don’t be fooled by cheap imitations.” in and keep your small elec-
batteries to operate radios, lights, small pumps, VCRs, Peress says that consumers need to look at how tric appliances running while
stereos, lamps, computers and cell phones. much power is provided per solar panel, which you camp or travel.

Weekly energy output varies depending on the relates to“purchase cost per watt”; whether the pan-amount of sunlight the panels receive, but a battery els are weatherproof and maintenance free; and
that’s exposed to five hours of sunlight daily (most whether the kit includes a charge controller, which
panels charge on cloudy days as well) will have an prevents the battery from overcharging.

average weekly output strong enough to run several Potential buyers also need to be con-

12-volt appliances. scious of their energy needs and consump- The Costco Connection

“Solar kits are an easy and cost-efficient way for tion. “You shouldn’t depend on a portable
Costco.com carries 45-, 60- and 160-watt
consumers to reap the benefits of the advances in solar kit to power your entire house,” solar-power backup kits. Several Costco
solar-panel technology and production,” says Sass Peress says, before adding, “but you’re warehouses in California will hold Special
Peress, CEO of ICP Solar, one of the leading manu- most likely not going to run disco lights Events featuring installed solar products.
facturers of solar panels. “But consumers need to do in your cabin anyway.”—T. Foster Jones See page 83 for dates and locations.

EX-S600

6.0 Megapixels • 2. 2'' LCDAnti-Shake to reduceblurry images

Summer Fun

EX-Z850

8.0 Megapixels • 2. 5'' LCD
Super Bright LCD

Keep up with summer by taking along an Exilim digital camera. Slim enough to fit anywhere
and stylish enough to take everywhere.

Visit a Costco near you to see firsthand how
you can improve your summer with an Exilim
digital camera from Casio. Also available on
costco.com. Preshop online for more info and
to see the full Casio line of digital cameras.